Rwanda

LEVEL ONE

- ELEMENTARY

Pre-reading activities

The text is about an International Court in Africa. Before you read the text you need to know the meanings of some important words. Chose one of these words to fill the gap in each sentence: trial genocide court survivor corruption prosecutor

1. A ____________ is a place where legal cases are decided. 2. Dishonest or illegal behaviour by people in official positions is called ____________ . 3. ____________ is the murder of large numbers of people from a particular race. 4. A ____________ is the process of deciding whether someone is guilty or innocent. 5. Someone who is still alive after other members of his group or family have been killed is called a ____________ . 6. A ____________ is a lawyer whose job is to prove in court that someone is guilty. 2 Find the answers to the following questions in the text:

1. When did the genocide in Rwanda begin? 2. Who, according to some people, organised the murders? 3. Where is the International Tribunal for Rwanda located? 4. How many people are in prison waiting for their trials? 5. Who is Jean Kambanda? 6. Where is the trial of Slobodan Milosevic taking place? 7. Find five reasons why the Rwanda tribunal is working so slowly. 8. Why do the survivors of the genocide not have confidence in the tribunal? 9. What might happen to the soldiers who carried out the murders? 10.What are the two major successes of the Rwanda tribunal?

onestopenglish.com 2002

This page can be photocopied.

Rwanda
LEVEL ONE

- ELEMENTARY

Second-class justice system

In April 1994 the genocide began in Rwanda. Hundreds of thousands of people from the Tutsi tribe were murdered by soldiers from the Hutu tribe. People say that Theoneste Bagonora, an army colonel, was the man who organised the murders. Now he is on trial at the International Tribunal for Rwanda, a court which is located at Arusha in Tanzania. Bagonora was arrested for his crimes six years ago. Since then, he has been in prison waiting for his trial. More than sixty other people are also in prison waiting for their trials. They include many of the politicians who allowed the murders to happen. One of them is the former Prime Minister of Rwanda, Jean Kambanda. Progress with the trials is very slow. It is interesting to compare the Rwanda Tribunal with the trial of 3 Word Partnerships Slobodan Milosevic, the former President of Yugoslavia. This trial is taking place at the International Court in The Hague. The Chief Prosecutor, Carla del Ponte, is responsible for both these courts. Milosevic was arrested last year in Yugoslavia and brought to The Hague. His trial began a few months later. Progress has been very fast with this trial. A lot of money has been spent on the Milosevic trial but not much has been spent on the trials in Rwanda. There are many other reasons why the Rwanda tribunal is working so slowly. Apart from the question of money, there has been bad management, corruption, problems of internal politics and racial tension between Western prosecutors and African tribunal managers.The survivors of the genocide and other citizens of Rwanda do not have a lot of confidence in the tribunal. They do not believe that justice will de done. They are also angry that Bagosora, Kambanda and the other politicians accused of genocide will only be sentenced to life in prison if they are found guilty by the tribunal. The soldiers who followed the orders of the politicians and murdered thousands of people could face the death penalty in ordinary courts in Rwanda. So people believe that the politicians are receiving special treatment. However, the Rwanda tribunal has had two important successes. It is the first international tribunal in history to convict anyone of genocide, and it also declared for the first time in legal history that rape can be an act of genocide.
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THE GUARDIAN WEEKLY 18-4-2002, 11

Match the beginnings on the left with the endings on the right: 1. Theoneste Bagonora was arrested.... 2. Many people were killed.... 3. Carla del Ponte is responsible.... 4. A lot of money has been spent.... 5. Many people have no confidence.... 6. Kambanda has been accused.... 7. He may be sentenced.... 8. The soldiers could face.... a. ....for both tribunals. b. ....of genocide. c. ....for genocide. d. ....to life in prison. e. ....the death penalty. f. ....by soldiers. g. ....in the tribunal. h. ....on the trial of Slobodan Milosevic.

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Rwanda
LEVEL ONE

- ELEMENTARY

Key Words

Rearrange the letters to form key words from the text: 1. cegindoe 2. erarsdet 3. ibnrtula 4. liatr 5. oporciurtn 6. soorttucper 7. cjsutie 8. dasucce 5 _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________

What do you think?

Should war criminals be tried in their own countries or by International Courts?

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This page can be photocopied.

Rwanda
LEVEL ONE

- ELEMENTARY

KEY 1. 2. 1. court 2. corruption 3. genocide 4. trial 5. survivor 6. prosecutor 1. In April 1994 2. Theoneste Bagonora 3. In Arusha, Tanzania 4. More than sixty 5. The former Prime Minister of Rwanda 6. In The Hague. 7. A lack of money, bad management, corruption, internal politics and racial tension. 8. Because they do not believe that justice will de done. 9. They might face the death penalty. 10. It is the first tribunal in history to convict someone of genocide and it has also decided that rape can be an act of genocide. 1. c; 2. f; 3. a; 4. h; 5. g; 6. b; 7. d; 8. e

3. 4.

1. genocide 2. arrested 3. tribunal 4. trial 5. corruption 6. prosecutor 7. justice 8. accused

onestopenglish.com 2002

This page can be photocopied.